Tayler Stevens

This week we catch up with the leader of the top of the table Palm Beach womens team from the NPL Queensland. It’s the Sharks’ Tayler Stevens.

QSN: How were you introduced to the game and who was your main football influence?

TS: My dad was a professional football player back in England when I was younger and all my family is football mad! So that and living in England, I was just surrounded by it 24/7 and I gained a love for the game through that.

QSN: Tell us about your football playing history?

TS: I started playing in a boys team when I was 10 when I moved to Australia for a club called Magic FC on the Gold Coast. Then when I was 12, I got into the Gold Coast representative team and played there until my team took the next step and moved to Palm Beach’s Diamond League team which is now the senior women’s NPL.

QSN: What opportunities has football given you?

TS: In the leagues I’ve been playing in, it’s given me the opportunity to improve as a player immensely. Coming up against W-League players and being able to defend well against them, is a huge boost of confidence in my game.

QSN: How are you enjoying playing at Palm Beach Sharks?

TS: I love playing on my team at Palm Beach. Some of us have been in the same team for eight years now. We are really just a huge family and we have such a close bond and that’s one of the reasons we are so successful on the pitch.

QSN: Who is the best player you have played with or against in your career?

TS: There are many W-League players I have come up against in my time playing football, but the best player is one of my teammates, Bronte Rose. She’s my other centre half and we’ve been playing together for eight years. When she is on her game, she is such a great player and she is the safety net of our team.

QSN: How does it feel to be the captain of the Sharks and lead the team out every week?

TS: It feels awesome being the captain of my team. It is such a good feeling leading the girls out for games. I have such a passionate belief in our team spirit and motivating each other to play to our full potential all the time and the girls respond really well to that. You wouldn’t find a better bunch of girls to be captain for.

QSN: How does Gary French compare to your previous coaches?

TS: I’ve only ever had two coaches before Gary and I’ve been in Gary’s team since I was twelve years old, so he has played a huge part in who I am as a player. He is an extremely great coach, and has helped to develop so many quality players. The success of our team is based on Gary’s coaching and him constantly being able to improve our players.

QSN: What do you do with yourself away from the football pitch?

TS: I’m in my last year of registered nursing at university so that keeps me pretty busy trying to balance football, work and uni.

QSN: If you weren’t a footballer, what other sport would you play?

TS: I don’t think I would be playing any sport. Football is the only sport I’ve ever been interested in playing, nothing could ever compare to football for me in terms of the passion I have for it.

QSN: Time for 5 rapid fire questions! Your favourite drink, music, food, football idol and which football club do you support?

TS: Lemon, lime and bitters. Most stuff on the radio. Pasta. David Beckham. Millwall.

QSN: Thanks very much Tayler for taking time out to let us know more about you and best of luck for the rest of your season. Tayler’s Palm Beach have the bye this weekend but they’ll be back in action on Sunday 19 July in what should be a rippling match against fellow top four side, UQFC.